While her time in the truck with Kurt had its advantages in that she did end up in bed with both of them, a repeat wasn’t on her list of things to do. “I’d love to.”
“How about we swing by around 9:00 a.m.?”
She wondered if Kurt would join them, but not wanting to appear as if the outing wouldn’t be fun without the two of them, she didn’t ask. “I’ll be ready.”
When Saturday rolled around, the last two days had been downright balmy. A lot of the snow had melted in the last week because of the unusual warm spell. Bare patches had exposed the winter-torn ground. Still, the vistas would be breathtaking.
As soon as she saw Drake’s car pull up, she rushed down the stairs. She wanted to ravish him but needed to keep herself under control with Charley in the car. Drake got out to greet her. Above the hood of the car he grinned. “You look good.” He swiped his tongue across his lips.
Her pussy reacted right away. This was going to be a long hike if she had to keep her hands to herself.
On the way to the mountain, Drake gave her a brief rundown on his trial, and then Charley told her how good he was getting on the Wii. She loved hearing about how they spent their days.
Once they reached the small parking lot near the top of the ridge, they got out and were met with dry, crisp air.
Charley raced toward the ledge. Drake shouted. “Charley, don’t get near there.”
“I won’t go far.” He stopped where he was. “Dad, look. I can see forever.”
“I know. Come back here.”
Charley turned and sprinted back. There were only patches of snow, but Drake grabbed a handful and lobbed it at his son. Charley moved out of the way and then laughed.
No surprise, he got into the fun and threw one at his dad. She was watching Charley make another snowball and didn’t see the one aimed at her. Drake’s missile hit her shoulder. She whipped around fast enough to duck the next one.
“You’re in trouble now, buddy.” She’d been a pitcher on the high school softball team. She might suck at darts, but when she had something round and hard in her hands, she was deadly.
She had to move to a snowy patch for some ammunition. She squatted, picked up a handful, and quickly formed a ball. She looked at Charley but aimed at Drake, just like when she was trying to get someone out at first base in the middle of pitching.
“Ha, ha. You missed.”
She grinned. “Only because you jumped out the way.”
From there on out it was an all-out war. Between laughter fits, they armed themselves and took aim. More of Drake’s landed, but she got him good a few times. Charley raced to a new pile of snow for more ammunition.
“You’ve got a good arm on you, Charley.”
“My dad used to play baseball in college.”
She glanced at Drake. “I didn’t know that.”
“Aw, gee. Yeah. So you see, you don’t stand a chance against me.”
Charley’s scream froze both of them.
Drake whipped around. “Charley?” His face had gone white.
“Where is he?” Her heart slammed against her ribcage.
“The sound came from over the ridge.”
She and Drake raced toward the edge. About fifteen feet down the sloped ravine lay Charley.
“I’m coming down,” Drake called.
She wasn’t sure whether it would be better to go with him or find help. Between the slippery rocks and loose stones, even Drake struggled getting down the hillside.
Off to the west, a noise sounded. Shit. About a three-hundred-pound brown bear was advancing. Drake’s gaze raced between the bear and Charley. “Destiny, go get help.”
She didn’t want to leave him, but given the way Charley’s leg was positioned, they’d need a doctor and fast.
* * * *
Adrenaline blasted Drake’s body, almost to a point where his body had become paralyzed. The bear seemed to sense Charley was hurt and came toward him.
“Hold on, Charley. I’m coming.” His son wasn’t moving or making a sound. Dear God, let him be okay.
Forcing his body to move, Drake edged down the slope at a diagonal, aiming to get halfway between his son and the bear.
“Charley, can you hear me?” he yelled.
No response. He wanted to race to him, to check his injuries and carry him to safety. If he went there, and the bear charged, he’d never be able to fend off the animal with his son in his arms.
Without a weapon, his chances of survival weren’t good, but he had to do everything in his power to keep Charley safe. Deciding to go on the offense, Drake picked up a rock and rocketed it at the bear. The bear scrambled to the side, and the rock landed harmlessly at its feet.
Drake waved his arms. “Get! Scram!”
The bear ambled closer as if he knew that eventually the stupid human would give up and leave the wounded child to him. Fat chance of that happening. Drake picked up a few more rocks and hurled each one at the target. The large cub growled, stood on his hind legs, and pawed the air. Clearly, he was pissed that Drake blocked access to his next meal. Too damned bad.
Drake spotted a stick from under a rock. After extracting it, he worked his way over the rocks toward the bear.
Think. If he chased after the animal, and they got into an altercation, he might get seriously injured, allowing the bear clear access to his son. But he sure as hell couldn’t stand there doing nothing while Charley could be bleeding to death. He needed to get to his son. And soon.
Destiny’s phone reception would kick in a few miles down the road. The response time could be anywhere up to an hour. Before he could decide on the best scenario, the cub reared up again and lumbered toward him. His heart raced, and he waved the stick, hoping to frighten the animal away. He’d read his chances were slim, but his son came first.
Maneuvering over the rocks proved difficult. Half were covered in snow, a third more in ice, but he needed to position himself between Charley and the bear.
One minute they were all throwing snowballs and the next Charley had tumbled over the edge. How had it happened so fast? Drake bent down to pick up a large rock. The small bear came toward him. Drake took aim and threw the rock as hard as he could.
Bull’s-eye! The missile slammed against the animal’s head. He prayed the bear would turn tail and flee. Instead the hit seemed to anger him even more. He charged. Fuck.
Drake glanced around to note which paths he could take should he need to move and draw the animal’s attention from his son.
Drake waved the stick over his head and stood as tall as he could, hoping to appear larger than life. The stupid animal seemed to have one mission. Harm the humans.
When the brown bear got within two feet of him, Drake swung the stick and connected with the animal’s midsection. The bear didn’t seem affected at all. He growled and swiped a paw. The brute force landed on Drake’s arm. Good thing he had on an extra-thick jacket. The claw shredded the sleeve but left him unscathed.
He stepped back to get out of reach of the next attack, but tripped and landed on his rear. The bear lunged. He swung the stick, but the bear knocked it loose from his hand. He would not fail. Using his feet, he tried to shove the animal backward. While the bear took all of two steps, the attack must have distracted him. Drake had time to get to his feet and move to a small area of flat ground. Maybe if he scrambled back up the hill, the bear would follow, which would draw it in a different direction.
An eye on the wild animal, Drake worked his way upward. The cub followed, but a moment later, the bear got on all fours, danced over the rocks in a flash, and pushed Drake down again. His heart pounding hard, he worked to find another rock. As the bear moved over him, Drake used all his strength to slam the rock into the bear’s face. Another swipe of the animal’s sharp claw grazed Drake’s neck.
“Shit.” He scooted on his back on his elbows.
The bear hovered over him. At that moment, he knew he was going to die.
* * * *
&
nbsp; With her heart still in overdrive, Destiny had a hard time checking her cell for a signal and keeping the big car on the road. Icy patches slowed her down. By now, Drake could be lying dead and Charley torn to pieces. Tears streamed down her face as sobs racked her chest. She fought for control but couldn’t keep it together. The damned tears blurred her vision. She stopped the car and tried the cell again. No signal flashed on the screen.
“Shit.” She opened her jacket and lifted her shirt to dry the tears.
Move. Her only hope was to get far enough down the mountain. Even then, she might not be able to get someone up here fast enough to help Drake and Charley. She put the car in gear and pressed hard on the gas pedal. The back end fishtailed. She squeezed the wheel tight, trying to control the car. Heart still racing, she drove one more mile then stopped again. With shaky fingers, she pressed 911.
“This is Connie. What’s the nature of your emergency?”
“Thank God.” Destiny swallowed hard and gave her as much detail as possible.
“I’ll send out as many people as I can find. Don’t you worry.”
Don’t worry? Like that would happen. “Thank you. Tell them to hurry.” Dumb comment since the dispatcher would do her best to round up folks to help.
Despite the cold, her hands wouldn’t stop sweating. Her condition didn’t matter. She had to get back. Turning the car around took about eight small maneuvers, but soon she was heading to the man and child she loved. It took a lot less time returning to the top of the mountain than going down, or so it seemed. Not bothering to shut off the engine, she jumped out of the seat and ran toward the cliff. Her stomach nearly revolted at what she might see.
Once at the cliff’s edge, she scanned the area. Oh, my God. It was a little hard to see, but Charley’s leg looked bent, and Drake didn’t look all that healthy either. Blood had coated the sleeve of his jacket.
Standing about a hundred feet away was the same cub. Breath held, she waited to see what the wild animal would do.
The bear stood on hind legs and let out a loud growl.
Drake looked up. Charley was next to him, remaining completely still. She didn’t want to shout to indicate she was there as he had enough to worry about. The bear dropped to all fours and danced across the rocks toward Drake. Then he did the unexpected. Drake picked up two large sticks. With arms waving above his head, he sprinted toward the bear, yelling and screaming. He looked like a lunatic, but maybe that was the point.
Drake leaped over rocks, not even seeming to look where he was going. She doubted the most agile athlete could have traveled the obstacle course any faster. When he stood atop a large rock, he banged the sticks over his head, and the bear turned around and ambled off as if bored. Drake dropped to his knees.
Destiny waited a bit to make sure the animal wasn’t going to return then picked her way down the hillside. Charley was moaning. Drake seemed fit enough to return over the treacherous terrain, so she focused on the child. When she reached him, the back of his head was covered in blood. Her heart broke.
“Oh, Charley.” She dropped to her knees.
He groaned, forcing her to study his thin body. His leg did look to be at an odd angle. “You poor baby.”
Drake dropped down next to her. “You shouldn’t be here. The bear has come back twice now.”
Three parallel gashes along his neck were caked with blood. She didn’t care about the damned bear. “Oh, Drake.” She craned her neck to get a better look at his wound.
“Get back to the car, now, and lock yourself in. When the medical staff gets here, you can show them where we are.”
She didn’t want to go, but if she stayed, Drake might become more agitated. “Can’t you move him?”
“I think his leg is broken, but if I spot the bear again, I’ll have to carry him up.”
She understood why he wanted her to go. If anything bad happened, he’d never forgive himself. His guilt level was already too high. She leaned over and kissed him. “Be careful.”
The wind picked up, sending a chill down her arms as she half walked, half crawled up the incline. She wanted to keep watch, but remaining in the car made more sense. They’d packed hot coffee, and she debated bringing some down to Drake, but for his peace of mind she wouldn’t expose herself to more danger.
The wait seemed to take forever, but in fact the two forest rangers, Sparks and Evan, arrived in under thirty minutes.
She jumped out of the car and ran over to them. “Drake’s with his son, who probably broke his leg.” She also detailed Drake’s injuries.
“Thanks. We’ll take it from here.”
In other words, they, too, wanted her to get back in the car and stay put. She could only pray that Charley’s leg could be saved.
Chapter Eleven
When the two rangers carried Charley up on the stretcher, he was conscious but not very alert.
Evan loaded him into the back of the ambulance. “We’re going to have to take him to the hospital in Bozeman. Looks like the leg might need surgery.”
Poor Drake was beside himself. “Is he going to be okay?”
“Most likely.” Sparks had Drake go with them. “You need to get your neck looked at. It’s an infection waiting to happen.”
Drake nodded and handed her the keys. “Can you follow us?”
“Absolutely.” He didn’t need to worry about his vehicle sitting at the top of the mountain. Besides, they’d need to be able to get back to Pleasure.
Once they arrived at the facility, both he and Charley were ushered in quickly. She went in with Drake. Thank goodness, he allowed the nurse to clean his wound and give him some antibiotics. Fortunately, she said stitches weren’t necessary. Instead, she put butterfly bandages on the wound.
After filling out a form, the nurse handed him his paperwork. “You must take it easy for a few days.”
Like that was going to happen. The woman didn’t know Drake.
They went out to the waiting room to wait for Charley to get out of surgery. Drake stabbed a hand through his hair. “I still can’t believe he just ran off like that.”
“I think he was going for more snow,” she said. “Maybe he slipped.”
“I should have been more careful.”
Enough was enough. She stood and turned his shoulders to face her. “No man can protect everyone he loves.”
“I should have made him stay by my side.”
“Drake, you have to let go. Bad shit is going to happen to good people despite their excellent intentions. Life is about learning to deal with what happens.” She stroked his face. “You can’t keep Charley in a bubble his whole life. He needs to learn things for himself.”
He pulled away. The rebuff stung. He sat on one of the plastic chairs and dropped his head in his hands. This time, she let him be. Nothing she’d said since the accident seemed to enter his thick skull anyway. The man had been a real hero, and yet all he could focus on was the fact he hadn’t been there when his son slipped over the edge of the ridge.
Several hours after Charley was wheeled in, a doctor came into the room. “Mr. Devereaux?”
Drake jumped up. “Yes?”
“Your son’s leg is going to be fine. He had a compound fracture, so it was good you hadn’t tried to move him. We put in a titanium rod, which in a few years, we can remove. You can go in and see him if you want. He’s still groggy, though.”
Drake grabbed her hand, and they followed the doctor’s instructions on how to find the room. Charley was indeed sleepy.
He cracked open an eye. “Sorry, Dad.”
Drake grabbed his hand. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. How do you feel?”
“My head hurts.” His chin wobbled, but when he glanced up and saw her, his lips turned up into a half smile. “You came, too.”
“Sure did.” She pulled another chair up and placed it next to Drake.
Drake explained to Charley that he’d have to stay in the hospital for a little bit longer, but that he’d be
able to come home soon.
“What about school?”
He almost seemed worried. How cute. She leaned over. “Don’t you fret. When you get back, I’ll help you catch up.” She rubbed his hand. “You know everyone will want to hear about your adventure.”
“Ya think?”
“No question about it.”
They stayed for a few more hours until Charley couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer. Drake clasped her hand. “Want to get something to eat?”
“You bet.” They hadn’t eaten all day.
After they finished dinner, Drake was driving her back to her house when his cell rang.
“Hey.” He mouthed it was Kurt. They’d spoken after Charley got out of surgery. Why would he call back so soon?
Drake’s eyes narrowed slightly and his jaw tensed. The news must not be good.
“I’m excited for you. When would you start?”
Her heart sank.
He disconnected. “Kurt got the promotion.”
The promise that the three of them would live happily ever after just crumbled. “When does he leave?”
“It’s negotiable.”
The food in her stomach churned. Given it was past dusk, she couldn’t see the pain in his eyes, but from his tone, he, too, was devastated. When he pulled in front of her house, she opened her car door, not waiting for Drake. “I need to go.”
She didn’t want to talk about the recent events anymore. It was bad enough Charley could have died, that he ended up with a rod in his leg and Drake got four large gashes in his neck. Now a man she loved would walk out of her life.
“I’ll call you.”
His lack of hope tore her up. She inhaled to keep the tears at bay. “Yes.”
As fast as she could, she hurried up the steps and unlocked the front door. She turned back around and waved. Drake drove off.
She stumbled over to the sofa and dropped onto the seat. What had started out as a fun family adventure this morning had turned into a near tragedy. Poor Drake. Seeing his child hurt must have crushed him. First his wife was taken from him, and now Charley was nearly killed. His brave defense was admirable, but seeing him fend off the bear attack drained her emotionally. He’d told her the bear had hovered over him. He was positive he was going to die. Had it not been for a pair of hawks buzzing overhead, the bear might not have been distracted and walked off.
Monroe, Melody S. - Destiny's Desire [Pleasure, Montana 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 10